Tons of people enjoy the fantasy movie genre. There are few films that are better than the Lord of the Rings movies, especially the original trilogy. They’re an adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books, which were released in the mid-20th century. They’ve been some of the best fantasy, epic films to ever be released, making them an absolute hit with fans.

If you haven’t seen the Lord of the Rings movies, you need to do so as soon as possible. But if you have, one of the more interesting debates is whether the new films based on The Hobbit are as good as the original trilogy. I’d say no, but I was still happy to be experiencing Middle Earth again, even if only for a little while.

That being said, all of the Lord of the Rings movies are worth watching. Many fans have wondered how the newer films rank in comparison to the originals, so that’s what I’m going to discuss today.

The Battle of the Five Armies

This is the third installment in a series of films covering The Hobbit. I thought it was good, but overall it wasn’t as compelling as the first two. The best part is definitely the battle scene at the end, as well as when Bard is finally able to bring down the dragon known as Smaug. It’s interesting that the film opens right where The Desolation of Smaug ended.

An Unexpected Journey

I loved seeing Middle Earth again in An Unexpected Journey.

This is the film where fans were reintroduced to the world of Middle Earth. It was quite emotional for many fans, who hadn’t experienced it since they saw Return of the King in theaters. The film even starts with Frodo and Bilbo, before it flashes back to Bilbo’s younger days, when he first went on his adventure with the dwarves.

The Desolation of Smaug

This is the middle film in The Hobbit trilogy. Personally, I loved the interaction between Bilbo and Smaug the dragon, which takes place under The Lonely Mountain.

The Two Towers

The Two Towers is just as good as the other two original LOTR films, but it had to be ranked somewhere. Some of the best fight scenes in the whole series appear in this film, especially during the battle for Helm’s Deep and when Eomer and Gandalf charge down the mountain to save the day.

The Return of the King

The Return of the King is only better than The Two Towers because it ends in an emotionally-charged conclusion to the entire series. There are great fight scenes in this one as well. For example, Gondor faces the armies of Mordor in front of Minas Tirith, at the Battle of Pelennor Fields. In addition, this movie has about 5 different ending. They make it an emotionally taxing end, to say the least.

The Fellowship of the Ring

This is the film that introduced people to Peter Jackson’s world, which he was creating for the next few films. What makes The Fellowship of the Ring the best is that, in introducing his audience to Middle Earth, Peter Jackson made places like The Shire and Rivendell come to life. This film has some incredibly beautiful cinematography, which is probably why it has a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Other LOTR fans may agree or disagree with my ratings, and that’s alright with me. But if you’ve never seen them, the one thing you need to do is go watch them right now on your computer or smartphone. They’re definitely worth your time.